Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Thursday said his country is trying to expedite the Rohingya repatriation efforts through holding talks with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

China always remains beside Bangladesh when it faces any problem, said Ambassador Li while attending a function at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.

Ambassador Li noted that China has been playing a role of “mediator” between Bangladesh and Myanmar during the past five years since the latest crisis happened in Rakhine State of Myanmar and has been working with relevant stakeholders, including UNHCR, to facilitate the early repatriation of the displaced people.

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The Chinese envoy said throughout the Covid pandemic China has stood beside Bangladesh with necessary assistance and it will continue to do so for developing the country’s medical sector.

He said Cox’s Bazar is a significant location across the globe, so its Sadar Hospital also bears great importance.

Ambassador Li handed over medical equipment - bio-chemistry analyzers, dental chairs, light cure machines and centrifuge machines - to 250-bed District Sadar Hospital in Cox’s Bazar as gift. 

Cox’s Bazar Medical College Dean Professor Dr. Anupam Barua accepted the equipment on behalf of the hospital.

Member of Parliament Shaimum Sarwar Kamal and Deputy Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar District Md. Mamunur Rashid, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Shar Rezwan Hayat also attended and addressed the ceremony.

Ambassador Li first extended his sincerest wishes for the upcoming holy Eid-ul-Fitr and said that the Bangladesh government and people, though with its own limited resources, had generously hosted more than a million displaced people from Myanmar. 

“This has imposed heavy medical burden on the local health resources. Today, the Embassy of China in Bangladesh donates a bunch of badly-needed medical equipment as a good will of the Chinese Government and people,” he said. 

All the medical equipment is state-of-the-art and of superior quality, which will come a long way to strengthen the capacity of Sadar Hospital, said the Ambassador. 

In future, he said, China will continue supporting local health facilities with more new initiatives.

Lawmaker Kamal said that China is one of the most important development partners of Bangladesh, and the Cox’s Bazar District expects more cooperation from China in various fields including the health sector in future.
Political Counselor of the Embassy Wang Zhihong, Senior Public Health Officer from UNHCR Dr. Allen Maina and medical staff representatives also attended the ceremony.

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Rohingya Camps Visit 

Earlier on Wednesday, Ambassador Li went into the settlement camps in Cox's Bazar and had in-depth exchanges with the displaced people from Myanmar. 

Wang Zhihong, Political Counselor of the Embassy of China and Shamsud Douza Nayan, Additional RRRC, among others, were with Ambassador Li during the visit.

Ambassador Li visited 10 households of the displaced people in camps, and tried to know about their living conditions and major concerns, according to Chinese Embassy in Dhaka. 

He said China has been making efforts to improve the conditions in the camps and it  will continue serving as a bridge of communication between Bangladesh and Myanmar, and playing a positive role in facilitating early repatriation.
Ambassador Li also visited two repatriation centers and one learning center in the camp area.